


I'm Ready For the Fall

by theotherarchangel



Series: I'm Glad You Asked [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bottom Dean, Bottom Sam, Canon Divergence, Demon Blood, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, For a little bit anyway, Gay Slash, How Do I Tag, I Tried, M/M, SEALs, Sassy Sam Winchester, Slow Build, Smut, Top Castiel, Top Gabriel, Wingfic, Wings, cant be telling all the angels that big brother is alive!, dont act surprised, hes still sort of in hiding, its here, loki/gabe, oh yes the horror, probably more characters but that is all i can think of that will be most relevant, really i did, season 4 and 5, seriously whatever your expecting from gay sex, sort of, the story is much better i assure you, there are gonna be a few issues with that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 09:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4473884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theotherarchangel/pseuds/theotherarchangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The seals are being broken and the Winchesters are once again racing to fix something that they really shouldn't be involved in. Both of them keeping secrets, and waiting for the other shoe to drop. They have a lot of help this time, and typically for Dean and Sam, that doesn't come without a price.<br/>Castiel has completed the most important mission of his life. The Righteous Man was saved from Hell. And Castiel couldn't be prouder. But there lies a problem in itself... What is this pride? Where is the worry coming from every time he leaves his human charge? Why does he feel content once more when returns to see his human has lived another day? One emotion Castiel hasn't become to feel, is fear. And that worries him too.<br/>Gabriel had left Heaven thousands of years before and made himself known as Loki. The Trickster Pagan God, and later making a name for himself in Norse Mythology. And now he finds himself preparing to throw all of that away to help the Winchesters. Gabriel can't help it. Not when just being in the presence of Samuel Winchester melts away his problems and the memories of his brothers fighting. Sam takes away Gabriel's pain. And he would do anything to return that favor to the younger Winchester.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Ready For the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it took me while to update. When I wrote 'I Dare You' I wasn't even thinking of writing an entire fic. I started to think about it half way through, because I began to get a bit attached and it became more interesting, and emotional then fluffy, as I had intended. And then when I finished it, I didn't want it to end! So I thought it over, discussed it with a friend, and decided to go for it! I did end up going back and changing a few details to help it make sense and go along with some sort of plot. And it took me this long cause I actually had to come up with something!! And I did :) So! Here we go! Please leave comments and let me know what you think! Sorry that I literally suck at tags xD  
> (Please enjoy the Imagine Dragons themed chapter titles! Using songs from their new album. Which are unsurprisingly perfect)

　

Sam sips his beer unenthusiastically. Not really tasting the alcohol anymore, just going through the motions and keeping up appearances. He flinches from the loud _crack_ that sounds just behind him, and sits up a bit straighter to turn around and give the situation a glance. Dean is hustling pool for money, and apparently he's making his move. Shooting Sam a wink and a thumbs up while the other guy stares at the pool table as if the secrets to the world were written on it. Then he turned and glared at Dean, just in time to see him stare at the table with a sort of drunken expression. Feigning intoxication.  
Sam sighs deeply before turning to look forward again. Tipping his head back to swallow the last of his beer. Once it's gone he wonders if it's even worth it to order another. He's not drunk, he'd need a few more to get there. But he'd do anything not to have to just sit here and  _think._  
The opportunity he had been waiting for presents itself when he notices a brunette sitting at the bar across the room, consistently looking back to him. He almost immediately wishes he was drunk enough not to recognize her. But alas. Curse his fucking responsible habits.   
_Ruby._  
The name flashes in his mind. He hadn't seen the familiar demon in just over a week. She was supposed to be looking for some leads to what seals Lilith was trying to break right now, and from the look Ruby was giving him right now, he would guess she definitely had something important to talk about. Yet Sam hesitated. Ghosting his fingers to his lips.  
Ruby and he hadn't been romantic since Dean had returned from Hell. There just hadn't been time, or a good moment. Sam hoped there wouldn't be one from then on. It wouldn't... feel right, anymore.  
But this could be important, so he swallowed his discomfort and walked over to her, settling on the bar stool to her left, and leaning in just enough to hear her over the obnoxious music. Every molecule in his body seemed to be fighting that and he didn't know what was wrong. He had _never_ been this uncomfortable near Ruby, or a demon at all. Agitated, year. Cautious and mistrusting sure. But he felt his skin tingling uncomfortably. As if he had lost circulation and was moving to try to get it back again. A harsh, sort of burning, but all over. He didn't like the feeling, that he was sure of. But his subconscious took the liberty to question whether or not this was for the best.  
  
"What's up?" he asked her and she gave him a weird look before continueing urgently. "There's been some talk."  
  
"Demon talk? Not interested." Dean huffed from Sam's other side, scowling at her mistrustfully. She pleasantly ignored him.

"There's a girl, Anna Milton. She escaped from some Mental Hospital and the demons are after her. A lot of big guns have been pulled out of Hell to try to find her as soon as possible."

Sam narrowed his eyes in thought. It's highly usually for the whole system of demons to have a common target. Other than the Winchesters of course. But even they hadn't earned the high honor of having some serious demons pulled specifically to find them.  
"What do they want with her?" Sam asked and Dean turned his scowl to his brother.

"Nu uh. No. We're on a hunt. We don't have time to go chasing some girl through the dark, who doesn't have all of her lights on.

Sam looked at him weirdly. "We're not on a hunt? Unless you mean hunting for alcohol poisoning and half drunk guys who think they can play pool."

Dean glanced to Ruby for a second before muttering into the lip of his beer bottle, then taking a deep sip.  
Sam just rolls his eyes and turns back to Ruby who is once again looking at him strangely. "We'll go after the girl. If the demons want her then she must be important. We'll figure out why once we've found her."

Ruby nods, "Good. She escaped from the Connor Beverly Behavioral Medicine Center in no where Ohio. Apparently taking out a demon and running."  
Sam nods once, determinedly, then cuffs Dean's head. Which earns him another scowl. "Come on Dean, we're going for a drive."

 ~

Sam can typically tell what mood Dean is in by the way he drives and what music he's listening too. Dean has chosen to today to listen to an angry sounding Jimmy Hendricks song while he whips the Impala around a turn as they head for the highway. His knuckles are white from the grip and Sam just barely refrains from rolling his eyes.  
"Dean..." he begins.

"No Sammy. I don't want to hear it."

Sam ignores that, per usual.  
"Well too bad Dean. We can trust her. Do you think she's leading us into a trap or something!?"

"I don't know Sam, but she's a demon. She has an end game. They always do, and you and me both know that demons, lie. I don't know what her deal is or else I would stop her, but you can't expect me to believe that she is helping us out of the goodness of her heart."

"You're right Dean. I absolutely agree." Sam said in a snarky, knowing tone that pissed Dean the hell off even more. "She wants Lilith dead, just as much as we do. Did you ever think about that? Ruby is trying to avoid taking orders from people. She doesn't want to deal with Lilith, and she definitely doesn't want to do deal with Lucifer! So yeah. She recognizes us as a force to be reckoned with, and now that we have the same common goal, she's helping us carry it out."

Dean just shakes his head, frustrated and disbelieving.  
"I don't know Sam. Something isn't right. And you know what else isn't? You personally hated demons even more than I did. I mean yeah, they suck, but you really had it out for them. What did she say to change your mind? What cause you to go all gun ho on trusting her _kind_? **That** doesn't make any kind of sense either."

"I told you Dean, she helped me go after Lilith."

"Oh yeah. Thanks for the thumbnail. Real vivid. You want to fill in a little detail?" Dean snapped.

"Sure Dean. How was Hell? And skip the vague 'it was Hell' line. Thanks." Sam pushed right back in a mocking tone.

Dean looks at him like he's seeing him for the first time since he's been back and doesn't say anything. Just turning his eyes back to the road and Sam glances at him sideways, worrying that he may have gone a little too far. But Dean doesn't get to just comeback and tell Sam to cut all of his ties just because he doesn't like them. Sam worked with Ruby for 4 months. She watched his back and he watched hers. She is a valuable asset and has become a really close friend. Sam winces. _Maybe too close..._  
Sam runs his hands up his face, palming his eyes tiredly before combing his fingers through his hair. Similiar enough to the last time someone else had combed through it, but not the exact same. A surge of electricitiy pulsed through him from his chest, as if he had accidently brushed against an open wire. And it settled with a sharpness powerful enough that Sam had to open his mouth to quietly hide the fact that he was breathing harder. His lungs burning painfully. He hadn't been able to forget the way it felt to kiss the shorter man. It was unlike anything Sam had felt before. Filling him up and warming him with pure energy, and when the Trickster left him all of it had left with him. Just leaving the painful aftershocks that literally took his breath away, and he couldn't get it back. He bruised his wrist trying to catch his fall. And every time he thought of that moment from last week, he felt himself falling all over again.

~

 Three days later and the boys were suited up. Sam paced about the room of absolute white, that had apparently been Anna's. He wondered if this is the sort of place where people went to go crazy. The room just radiated that feeling of emptyness that was cold enough to drive anyone insane. Sam was pretty much ready to get out of it already, and it had only been a minute or two. Everything had already been cleaned out anyway and there really wasn't any reason for them to stay. Except to uphold the professional appearences Sam and Dean were commanding right now. Anna's therepist was standing between them and the door, waiting patiently for the two "FBI agents" to scan the room for clues to Anna's disappearence.  
"So, the orderly didn't have any recolection of what happened?" Sam asks, turning from the small desk back to the plump, middle aged women.

"Apparently she knocked him unconscious. He doesn't even remember coming into the room."

Dean steps forward from glancing in the drawers of the nightstand. "That's a pretty difficult thing for a girl to do to a guy who has 80 pounds on her." He gave Sam a strange look while the women nods in agreement. "We think she hid behind the door and surprised him."

"Right." Sam agreed quickly. "Now, why was she admitted in the first place?" he asked as the women led them into the hall and he couldn't help but take a deep breath, relaxing from the claustrophobia he had been beginning to feel from that desolate excuse for a bedroom.

"Well two months ago she was a happy, well adjusted journalism major."  
Sam's eyebrows twitched up, surprised.  
"That's the terrible thing about schizophrenia." The women said, noticing. "In just a few weeks Anna was having extremely vivid hallucinations."

"What kind of hallucinations?" he pressed.

"She thought demons were everywhere."

The women handed them a sketch book, full of pencil recreations of the past few seals. The Rising of the Witnesses and Samhain from just before the... zoo. Sam shook his head to continue looking through the sketch pad, noticing the same shape of a circle, with curved lines reaching from the center, to the edge. Sometimes detailed, with color and symmetrical shapes. Other times smaller, and just made up of curving lines. Sam's brow furrowed as he tried to recognize it from any sort of symbol in lore.

"Anna's father is a church pastor. When she began having delusions, they took on a religious under tone. And it's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real."

Dean flinched from that, and they both shared a look, wondering how people in here might have just been terrified victims that witnessed something awful, and no one believed them.

"We'll definitely do our best to find her." Dean is jolted back when he hears Sam answer something he hadn't heard.  
They leave the hospital and decide to head to Anna's house.

~  
  
Both cars are in the driveway of the house they pull up too. A typical suburban home with a cottage feel. They jog up the soft blue porch steps in sync, and knock on the door. No one answers, and the boys share a look before trying the handle. Unsurprised, but wary when it opens, unlocked.

"Mr. or Mrs. Milton?" Sam calls into the house gently, just incase. "We're with the Sheriff's Department, is anyone home?"

Dean brushes by cautiously, taking a left, and eyeing the staircase ahead of them cautiously, but remaining on the first level.  
Sam goes right, walking into a cozy living space and glancing around the furniture while also trying to see through the next part of the house. But before he can look into the next room, he sees the Miltons.  
Laying next to eachother, throats slit. The blood is dark, unmoving and still wet. Drying, though, on the edges where it had thinned out a bit whilst spreading. They were probably killed that morning.

"Dean." Sam prompts, and the older brother sighs heavily as he comes up next to his younger. Dean steps forward to investigate, and Sam looks over his shoulder, interested when

Dean crouches and his hand moves down to the floor before returning to his face.  
"Sulfer." Dean growls flashing Sam an oppurtunity to look at the powder on his finger with an unmistakable scent.

"Do you think they already have Anna?" Sam asks him.

"I don't think she would have gone home. But they want her, and they aren't screwing around."

"Any ideas?"

"Well. If I had just busted out of the nut box," Dean starts as he rifles through the mail. "And I knew the score on the Apocolypse, where would I go?"

Sam thinks for a moment, but his eyes focus on something interesting, and gently lifts up a picture of the Milton Family infront of their church. A familiar looking design in the form of a stained window, noticeable in the corner. Sam confirms this by glancing at Anna's drawings again.

"Dean check this out." And he hands Dean the picture, pointing out the window.  
"If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to feel safe?"

Dean nods in understanding, "The Family church."

"To the church." Sam agrees.

~

Sam and Dean pull up to the elegant white building. Sam immediatly gesturing to the stained glass window, and Dean nods in recognition.  
They both pull their guns out and step through the doors.  
The church is clear all the way up to the top level, and the boys cautiously walk up the last set of stairs and open the door at the top.

"Anna?" Sam calls, stepping around the small banister and they see movement almost immediately on the far side of the room. Sam signals Dean to it with a nod and they put away their guns.

"Anna, my name is Sam, and I promise you we are here to help."

"Not, Sam Winchester?" she assumes quietly.

"Um.. Yeah. And this is my brother-"

"Dean!?" she finishes excitedly, coming up to them openly from her place in the shadows.

The boys share a look, blinking in surprise.  
She was quite a bit shorter than Dean, Sam notices. Making him once again feel enormous. Wearing simple jeans and a khaki green jacket over a white blouse. Her hair red, and kind of flat, but both winchesters figured it would be a lot brighter if she hadn't been on the run directly after a few months in a mental hospital. Where appearences are not top priority.

"How do you know us..?" Dean asks warily.

"The angels, I hear them in my head. They talk about you two all the time."

Sam starts, a bit shocked, and looks to Dean who is also struggling to hide his surprise. "Okay. I'll bite. What do they say?" Sam hears his brother ask.

Anna looks up to him admiringly, before looking back to look guiltily at Sam. "Well.. they don't like you very much." She says to him slowly, as if breaking the bad news. Sam just sighs, fully aware if Uriel's threats have been anything to go by. You don't just get told that your one hand in the cookie jar away from getting thrown into the fire, and think there is still a chance to turn the situation around.  
"The angels think you can help save us." She says to Dean, who raises an eyebrow at her choice of words. "So, Castiel pulled you out of Hell. He worries about you, sort of. He seems to, anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Dean barks, surprise evident this time, and Sam just grins.

"Well," Anna begins awkwardly. "He doesn't think you should be left alone so much. You're chasing Lilith right? Yeah, he doesn't like that."  
Dean's eyes widen at that and Sam snickers at the thought of Castiel learning about emotions because of his concern for Dean's safety.

"Well that is none of his God damned business." Dean growls and narrows his eye's again to glare at his younger brother. "Shut up."

Sam stops laughing but his grin only widens with the effort. He turns to Anna.  
"So you talk to the angels. No wonder the demons want you." Sam determinds, still smiling.

"Oh! No, aha no." Anna rejects quickly. "I don't speak to them, I just sort of hear them, sometimes. They probably don't even know I exist." she shrugs contently.

"You _overhear_ them?" Sam presses, shocked. Anna just nods quickly.

"Well either way. You're tuned into the angel radio, and that's something the demons would love to get their hands on." Anna nods again, understandingly.

"Anna, when did this start?" Sam asks her pressedly.

"Oh, I can tell you that exactly. September 18th."

Dean leans back onto his heals and wipes his face. "That's the day I got out of Hell."

Anna nods excitedly. "Those were the first words I heard, clear as a bell.  
'Dean Winchester is Saved.'"

Sam swallows and Dean narrows his eyes in wonder.  
"That was Castiel," Anna continues. "He talks a lot, and he's the only voice I completely recognize. He was... rapturous. I could _feel_ him. Completely. And, I wasn't scared. I don't think anyone could have been scared the way his words felt." she said, smiling widely.

The door slams behind the boys and Sam's heart leaps uncomfortably as Ruby stomps in, "You got the girl? Good, let's go."

Anna stares at her fearfully, before backing up quickly. "What happened to your face!?" Dean rushes to calm her while Sam meets Ruby, reluctantly trying to figure out why she's so unusually frantic.

"It's okay, she's a demon, and I'm not her biggest fan but she is helping us." Sam hears behind him as Dean soothes the redhead quickly.  
"We have to hurry!" Ruby demands, looking up at Sam determinedly.

"Why?" Dean shouts back from behind the younger brother.

"Because a demon is coming Dean, a big-timer and if we live, we'll have time to fight later." she turns on him.

"Oh that's fucking convenient. Showing up right when we find the girl with some bigwig on your tail."

"I didn't lead him here! You did! He followed you from the girl's place. Now we have to GO."

Sam's adrenaline is starting to run thorugh him, heating his blood and making him that much more observant, his body tense in preperation. That was probably what alerted his attention to the large, white, statue, a few feet to the right of Dean.  
"Dean.." Sam says softly, and both of the apparent toddlers turn to him. He's starring wide eyed at a glazed, 6ft tall figure of an angel. Blood red tears begining to run down it's face from it's stone cold eyes.

"It's too late." Ruby sighs, her head shaking slightly. "Sam, get ready."

And Dean turns on her again. "No. No way in Hell. We'll take care of him just like we take care of the others."

"Dean! This isn't the time for you to bitch about Sam going darkside. Sam needs to do his thing, pull it out, and send it back as fast as he can or we're all dead."

Dean glares at her, and turns to Sam who is looking at Dean nervously.  
"Dean.. just let me do this." he requests softly.

Dean lets his gaze travel over Sam, and unwillingly nods once.

Sam steps forward, facing the stairs they walked up just a few minutes ago, Ruby standing just behind him.

"Anna," Dean starts, leading her slightly towards the back and then gesturing to the closet in the corner. "Hide in there, we'll get you when it's safe." and he closes the door on her, turning back to his brother.

  
Sam flinches slightly as the door at the top of the stairs slams open, and the newcomer walks in. Appearing as an older man and grinning evily as he stalks towards the group. Sam swallows as the demon makes it's way around the banister, and pauses just infront of it. Sam's hand flies up, and his face consorts with effort. Tensing his body and closing his eyes as he tries to draw the force building inside of him. But it doesn't feel right and Sam has a flash panic. The process itself isn't exactly easy, or comfortable. But it has never felt this bad before. He usually visuallizes drawing this force in from his chest, where the demon blood goes and pumps through his system, just as his regular blood does. But now it's not working. Sam's chest is begining to ache from the battle within. And he knows something is fighting the demon blood. He expected his nose to start bleeding with the effort like it normally does, but whatever is struggling inside of him isn't even letting that happen. Sam opens his eyes in shock at the demon infront of him.  
The demons eyes glaze over to white while he fakes a cough, grinning, before letting them return to the vessel's normal color of blue. "That tickles." He says in a nasaly voice. "You don't have the juice, to take me on Sam."

  
Dean's eyes narrow when he realizes this isn't going to work and he steps up to Ruby. Who is frowning at the younger Winchester, confused and unhappy. It takes Dean a second to get her attention, "Take Anna and get out of here." he demands and she turns from him immediatly to retrieve the red head. The demon in front of them sticks his own hand out and with a pulling motion of his fingers, he flings Sam behind him. Crashing through the banister and down the stairs. Dean sees red and pulls out the knife.

~

"Come on Sam, get up. You're going to be fine."  
Sam's head lolls as someone tries to lift him up. A firm arm wrapped around his middle, and someone is fisting his jacket in the front, hauling him into a sitting position against the wall. Sam blinks rappidly, trying to clear his head. His eyes fly open when the hand readjusts its position and momentarily brushes Sam's exposed collar bone, shooting that familiarizing electricity through him. But stronger, warming Sam completely instead of the ghostly, chilled memory he had been experiencing.  
All he sees is a flash of gold eyes.  
"Trickster?" he stammers, gasping.

"Look kid. I'd say we're on a first name basis by now. Just call me Loki, okay?"

"Wha- What kinda name is Loki?" Sam breathes heavily.

"You should know braniac. Norse Mythology? Never mind, not important right now. Just shut up and tell me if anything hurts? Can you feel anything broken?"

Sam groans, but answers with renewed vigor. "Can't shut up and tell you, _Loki_ _._ " 

Loki's eyes narrow. "We don't have time for this _Samantha._ " he growls. Sam's breath catches in his throat when Loki places his hand to Sam's forehead, pushing away the hair in front slightly, his palm just above Sam's eye and he pauses for a moment. Sam finds himself leaning into it, soaking up the warmth and he fleetlingly believes Loki presses back, but is overcome by bliss.

"You have a broken rib and a popped knee cap."

Sam finds his breath and groans again, "I was wondering what that was."

"Just hold still, shut up, and close your eyes." The shorter man hissed. And then Sam realizes he has replaced his whole hand with just two fingers. And after a moment of having them pressed into his skin, Sam feels infinitely better throughout. His head clears and the multiple sources of throbbing pain cease to exist.  
 Loki shakes his head for a moment and Sam allows himself the indulgence of appreciating the hair that falls away from the remaining strands that lay slicked back.

"Now get up, we have to get your brother." Loki insists, seemingly frustrated.

At that Sam jumps up and sprints for the stairs, and he only faulters slightly when Loki is already at the top and across the room, grabbing the demon from behind and hauling him off Dean. Sam tries not to think to hard of Loki's strength when the demon goes flying across the room and lands in a heap on the opposite side of the banister from Sam.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The demon purrs, leaning forward and standing up. Sam scowls darkly at the look he's giving Loki, even as he tries to pick Dean up of the ground. 

Loki's eyes have shaded to a dark bronze with the strength of the scowl aimed at the demon infront of him, and he stands inbetween the demon and the Winchesters. "You two, get out of here now." Loki orders, his head turning slightly to indicate to the brothers that he is, in fact, speaking to them.

A soft light has started imminating from him, highlighting his outline and casting shadows about the room. Sam and Dean are standing behind him and don't have the time to figure out exactly where the light is coming from, so they don't hesitate to obey. Sprinting for the window that makes up the back wall of the building, and throwing themselves through it.

"Alastair," Loki starts. "You have made a very unfortunate decision." He growls, the light glowing gold from his eyes and surrounding his form. On the far wall Alastair can see the shadow of wings. A single pair of them, strong and powerful enough to outfly even the Seraphs, who have six.

The demon grins back at him. "Oh I don't know, _Gabriel_. Coming out of the Holy Witness Protection Program to save a couple of Winchesters? That doesn't seem very wise of you. And see I thought angels were smart."

Gabriel grins at this, his wings filling the room as they take a corporeal form, soaking the room in gold.  
"Well it's a good thing I've got enough brawn to make up for my apparent lack of brain."   
Alastair hisses harshly, almost screeching as Gabriel's wings arch behind him and thrust down, carrying Gabriel forward faster than anything that had ever come after Alastiar. His hand forcing Alastair's head back as they slam into the wall.

"What are you doing!?" Alastair screams as Gabriel's hands burn him instantly, turning the demon and the entire vessel to ash immediately.

~

"The Trickster's name is _Loki_?" Dean asks incrediously as the two winchesters acess their damage in the safety of their motel room.  
"I know. That's what I said." Sam hisses uncomfortably as he drags the towel soaked in whiskey over the deep cut on his arm. The bleeding had slowed to thick sludge instead of pouring from the wound like it had been earlier. But it still needed to stop more if he was going to be able to stitch it up. Dean looked at it from across the room, and determined it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

"As soon as you're done with that you better go clean your freaking blood off my seats before it dries. I don't want water and cheap soap on my interior." Dean grumbles.  
Sam just looks at him quizzically.

"So tell me again, what did Loki the Norse God of douche-baggery, do? And did he happen to say how the Hell he knew we were there and why the Hell he decided to help?" Dean prompted.

"Is 'Out of the goodness of my heart' not enough for you Dean-o?" a snarky voice sounded and the Winchesters turned quickly to see the Trickster leaning lightly on the corner of the wall with his arms crossed. Sam successfully withheld projectile vomiting at the sight of Gabe while fully conscious, for the first time since the zoo.  
"The Hell it ain't." Dean jumped up from where he had been leaning on the small motel dresser. Wincing, though, as he jostled his dislocated shoulder. Sam snorted at the best Bobby impression he'd ever heard, and the pathetic way his brother challenged their newest ass preserver. 

 Loki raised an eyebrow at the display. "Do you need assistance?"

Dean tried to glare at him with the grimace of pain still contorting his face. It just ended up being a weird combination of hilarious and sad. Loki must have thought the same thing because he only looked at it for a second before sauntering up to Dean, and placing two fingers to his head.

"Close your eyes boys." Loki instructed. Sam lifted his uninjured arm up and pressed his forearm into his elbow gently. Dean continued to frown at the Trickster, until he ultimately relented. And in a flash of light that just teased through Dean's eyelids, Dean realized he didn't feel any pain. Gabriel rolled his eye at the green eyed Winchester. Making sure he still had them closed before turning towards Sam.

Sam felt the gentle fingers before they touched.  
Before they scoured his hair to the side softly.  
Before two of them had pressed into the same spot as they had earlier, at the bottom of the stairs.  
Before the light came and the familiarizing palm settled against his head again.  
Sam felt the easy warmth that he had been craving non stop for the past week and a half. And when the fingers gently pressed into Sam's temple, he could feel it strenghten and pour through him easily, erasing the dull throb in his arm, and the ache that had presented itself when he landed heavily on his hip. All of it drowned in the feeling of bliss that settled over Sam. And when it was over, probably a lot faster than it seemed, Sam found himself missing the physical contact once more. Chest aching for it. Sam opened his eyes to plead with the pale gold ones that met his own. And Loki's hand hesitated, open once more, and just a fraction of an inch from the same spot it had owned when Loki had accessed him in the church. Ghosting, over him painfully until Dean cleared his throat. The Trickster looked to him quickly and then turned away from Sam and lay out on the other bed.

"Anyways," Loki began, trying to ignore the look Sam was giving him via peripheral vision. "You're lucky I was there and that all you got was some blood in your car and a dislocated shoulder."

Dean just stared at him for a moment before sitting down again, gruffly.

"And what were you two doing in a church, fighting a demon like that anyway!? Didn't daddy teach you _anything_ about self preservation? Seriously, I knew you two were stupidly brave but, that just seems completely unnecessary."  
Sam shoots a glance to Dean who begins shouting immediately.

"Nu uh. Sam, we are already friends with a demon bitch, we don't need to befriend a Trickster asshole."

"Come on, Dean. He helped me out when Alastair knocked me unconscious, and then he held Alastair off while we got away."

Dean turned quickly to Gabe who was now lounging on the bed again, staring at the ceiling as if it was the most entertaining thing he'd ever seen.   
 Why did you help out Sam?" he challenged, and Sam just groaned like an embarrassed teenager, collapsing and slamming his back into the bed before throwing his arms over his face.

Loki huffed. "Technically I saved both your asses, and the girls. But yeah. I picked Sammy up on my way inside."

"Okay. Great. You grabbed Sam and distracted the demon while we jumped out of a window."

"Distracted?" Loki grins. "Oh no. I killed big bad and unbelievably ugly. Burned him right out of his meat suit." Both brothers stare at him, mouths gaping.

"You what?" Sam barks, sitting up fast enough to make his head spin momentarily, and Dean can only gaze. Awed, cautious and hopeful all at once.

"I killed him. I may not be an upstanding citizen but I hate bullies. Does that answer your question?"

Dean and Sam share a look before Dean is finally able to speak.  
"I didn't realize you had the mojo." 

Loki finally turns his gaze to the older Winchester, "Oh, I've got it. And then some. I'm a demigod kiddo, I do what I want." he smirked and Dean found himself pissed off all over again. "So, tell me what you unlucky adreniline junkies were doing there."

Dean just sighs and waves his hands angrily, "Fine. Whatever."

"We were rescuing this girl, Anna." Sam starts, turning to face Loki, who sits up completely now, folding a leg under himself to face the younger Winchester. "A bunch of demons have been after her for the past few days and we were just getting her out of there."  
Dean pouts at them darkly from his place _not_ in the center of attention.

"Why were the demons after Anna?" Loki asks, brow furrowing and darkening his eyes to bronze.  
"Well, Anna can hear the angels."

Loki's eyes widen and he visibly tenses.  
"She can what."

"Anna over hears the angels talking. We aren't sure why, but it started when Dean rose from Hell."

"I see. That would definitely put Anna on the Hell's most wanted list. What about the angels. Do they know?"

Sam shrugs. "Anna can't talk back. She doesn't think that they even know she exists." 

 Loki nods tensely. "Where is she now?"

Dean snorts. "Probably with the demons, being tortured for information."

"You lost her!?" Loki starts.  
"No! No. Ruby took her. They're hiding out somewhere and Ruby will contact us when she can."

"Who's Ruby?" Loki's eyes narrow.

Dean smiles at him viciously. "Oh! That's Sam's demon girlfriend."

"Dude!? She's not my girlfriend. Or anything like that." Sam yelled back, blushing slightly and avoiding Loki's initial gaze.   
 Gabriel glares at Sam. "Okay well you two have fun with that. Thank's for the info and the waste of power, see you- probably never."

And he's gone with the snap of his fingers.  
Immediatly Sam chokes and begins to cough roughly, unable to catch his breath and Dean leaps at him, trying to steady him and hold him upright.

"Dammit Sam! What is going on?" He yells, frustrated and concerned.

"I-I don't know, Dean. But-" Sam began. He coughed for a few minutes and looked up at his brother with eyes watering slightly.  
"I need to tell you something..."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Dear gosh you don't even realize how much I loathe calling Gabriel Loki. But, it is imperative to the story that Gabriel work with the Winchester without them knowing who he is. At least for now.


End file.
